Yorkville supporting cleanup

November 9, 2012

YORKVILLE - A $1 million grant is being sought for Brownfield funds to clean up the Esmark/Ohio Cold Rolling site in Yorkville, according to Domenick Mucci of the Jefferson County Regional Planning Commission.

Yorkville Village Council this week approved a resolution in support of the application to the Clean Ohio Brownfield Program. The application goes to the Clean Ohio Council and the Ohio Development Services Agency for the funds.

The resolution notes, in part, that planning commission "intends to remediate the property which formerly operated as the former RG Steel property for redevelopment into Esmark Corp." The Clean Ohio Council and the Ohio Public Works Commission District No. 14 Integrating Committee "are encouraged to fund this innovative and worthwhile project." It involves the cleanup of contaminated soil.

Yorkville is working with the county and planning commission to prepare and submit the application, according to the resolution.

Mucci said it looks good for grant approval since Gov. John Kasich visited the plant in October.

Jefferson County Commissioner Tom Gentile told Yorkville officials that he'd been at a local union meeting where negotiations of a labor agreement would mean the creation of 160-180 jobs if the plant opens.

Mucci said the application wouldn't have been possible without the county commissioners, and Gentile said the commissioners were happy to assist in the grant application.

Another matter related to Esmark surfaced during the meeting when resident Dana Brown said James P. Bouchard, founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Esmark, will be the grand marshal in the community Christmas parade involving Yorkville, Tiltonsville and Rayland and scheduled Dec. 8.

Brown added that Bouchard wants to be part of the community, and he offered for Esmark to be official sponsor of the parade.

Entry forms for the parade, according to Brown, are to be mailed to the YTR Community Committee, P.O. Box 506, Yorkville, OH 43971 no later than Dec. 1.

A ceremony involving the Christmas Memory Tree ceremony, which is open to all communities, will be Dec. 15 at 7 p.m., and the tree will be taken into the firehouse where it will be lighted.

Street Foreman Bruce Antill reported on the locations of recycling bins and about items to be placed in them. The bins are at the Veterans of Foreign Wars parking lot, and cardboard and glass may be deposited in the bin; Handi Market, cardboard; RG Steel lot, cardboard; and Mr. T's, cardboard and glass.

Police Chief John Morelli said a police officer who was to moved to full-time had obtained another job, but he will remain as a part-time officer. Morelli then noted the full-time post needs to be filled.

The police chief wrote to Eastern Gateway Community College's Police Academy and was informed that many communities needed officers, and contact information was given to the academy students. The academy, according to the letter, had only two left eligible to be hired as other graduates have found positions.

It was pointed out that law enforcement and police academies are losing many promising candidates to the coal mines and gas fields. Officers in communities were encouraged to find quality young men and women and encourage them to attend the academy with the prospect of eventually being hired by the departments in the communities.

Two ordinances were given their second readings. One is regarding residential handicap parking spaces while the other is about the registration of vacant properties and buildings.